The present invention relates to a device useful in slicing a melon and, in particular, to a device that cradles the melon while it is being sliced. It is well known to anyone who has sliced a melon such as a watermelon due to the size and weight of the melon it is often difficult to position the melon for slicing and difficult to maintain the melon in position while slicing. It is often desirous to have uniform width of the melon slices and this has been difficult to achieve in the past.
A watermelon-handling utensil is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,354 dated Aug. 3, 1971, issued to Ralph W. Emerson. The Emerson watermelon-handling utensil includes a watermelon-containing housing having sidewalls at the bottom. Upwardly projecting tines are secured to the bottom for retaining a whole, uncut watermelon in the housing. An elongated cutting device that has one of its ends pivotally secured in a track extends across the central portion of the bottom of the housing. Retaining clips are provided for holding serving trays to one of the sidewalls. The Emerson utensil utilizes the elongated cutting device to longitudinally cut the melon, and, it is apparent, for the next and successive cuts the melon is rotated to divide the melon into the number of longitudinal slices desired. In U.S. Pat. No. DES 375,661, dated Nov. 19, 1996, issued to Gregory J. Ross et. al. is disclosed a design for a watermelon slicer where apparently the width of the slices are fixed.
The present invention provides a device useful in slicing a melon, such as a watermelon and the like, and, in particular, a device especially useful for making transverse slices of the desired width in an efficient manner. An elongated stand including a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinal horizontal melon retaining rails of equal length are provided. The elongated stand also includes transverse melon supporting members affixed to the pair of horizontal retaining rails. Support stand leg members are attached to the horizontal melon retaining rails in supportive relationship therewith. A melon cutting station assembly is provided. The cutting station assembly is engageable with the pair of melon retaining rails. The cutting station includes a pair of parallel longitudinal horizontal cutting station retaining rails of equal length. A pair of cutting station rails are in coaxial alignment with a pair of melon retaining rails.
A first of the cutting station rails has first cutting station leg members affixed thereto in supportive relationship therewith. Likewise, the second of the cutting station rails has the second cutting station leg members affixed thereto in supportive relationship. A cutting blade member support and retaining bracket is included that is attached to a first adjoining pair of the first cutting station leg members. A first cutting station rail has a first opening therethrough in predetermined position between the first pair of the first cutting station leg members. The cutting device bracket has a first slot therein in vertical alignment with the first cutting station rail opening.
A blade end receiving and supporting bracket is attached to a second adjoining pair of the second cutting station leg members opposite the first adjoining pair of the first cutting station leg members. The second cutting station rail has a second opening therethrough in predetermined position between the second pair of the second cutting station leg members. The blade end receiving and supporting bracket has a second slot therein in transverse alignment with the first slot of the cutting blade bracket and the second opening of the cutting station rail. An elongated cutting blade member is provided including a base pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the cutting blade bracket and operatively aligned with the first opening of the first cutting station rail and the second opening of the second cutting station rail. The cutting blade member includes a central cutting portion and a handle is affixed to the other end of the elongated cutting device.
A slice width adjustment assembly is provided including a transverse slice width adjustment support assembly attached between the first cutting station rail and the second cutting station rail. A frame is affixed to the slice width adjustment support member. The frame includes a central member having a threaded jackscrew aperture passing therethrough. A jackscrew is provided in operable engagement with the central member at the jackscrew aperture. A movable melon butt plate is also included in operable engagement with the jackscrew.
Utilizing the present invention, with the cutting blade in an upright position, a melon to be cut may be placed on the stand so that a portion of the melon contacts the movable melon butt plate. The jackscrew may be adjusted to obtain the desired slice width. The blade is then used to cut a first slice. The first slice is removed and the blade is raised in an upright position and the remaining part of the melon may be pushed toward the butt plate until a portion contacts the butt plate, and this may be repeated until the melon is sliced into slices of the desired width.
The cutting blade member support and retaining bracket preferably further includes a blade retention bracket including a pair of cutting blade base retaining members affixed thereto. Preferably, the blade support and retaining bracket also includes a blade retaining member affixed to the bracket proximate the first slot.
The blade retaining member preferably contains a resilient block member having a vertical slot therethrough in alignment with the base of the cutting device, whereby the cutting device may be retained by the resilient block member in an upright position while the melon is moved forward to contact the butt plate for the next slice. Preferably the resilient block comprises hard rubber.
Preferably, the diameter of the ends proximate the elongated stand of the first and second cutting station rails are sized so that the cutting station rails may slideably engage the ends of the horizontal retaining rails. Preferably the ends of the horizontal retaining rails further include spring-loaded detent members affixed thereto. The ends of the first and second cutting station rails preferably are provided with apertures therethrough in predetermined position to receive the second spring-loaded detent members, whereby the cutting station may be affixed to the elongated stand or released from the stand as desired.
The retaining rails preferably further include a non-skid material affixed thereto, such as, neoprene. Also, preferably, the transverse melon supporting members are elliptically shaped and pliable. Desirably the bottoms of the support stand leg members and the cutting station leg members also have a non-skid material affixed thereto, such as, neoprene.
The cutting station assembly further includes a drip pan affixed between the first adjoining pair of the first cutting station leg members and the second adjoining pair of the second cutting station leg members. Preferably, the blade end receiving and supporting bracket further includes a resilient blade stop affixed to the bracket proximate the bottom of the second slot. Desirably the cutting blade bracket and the blade end receiving and supporting bracket are affixed to the cutting station leg members by cooperating pairs of bolts and nuts, for example, whereby the cutting blade bracket and the blade end receiving brackets may be quickly interchanged with one another to provide for either left hand or right hand operation of the cutting device.
The slice width adjustment assembly preferably further includes butt plate stabilizer members each comprising an extension member attached at one end to the central member of the slice width adjustment assembly. The extension member has at the other end thereof a hollow rod receiving member. A slidable rod passes through the hollow rod receiving member and has one end thereof attached to the butt plate. Preferably the jackscrew includes a flared-end portion proximate the butt plate. An end portion containment box is attached to the butt plate. The flared-end portion of the jackscrew is housed within the containment box, whereby upon turning the jackscrew the butt plate is caused to move inwardly or outwardly as desired until the desired thickness of the melon slice is achieved.